Sunday, June 8, 2014

Songwriter Doc Pomus said, “Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Pomus was referring to Big Joe Turner, the "Boss of the Blues," who mixed R&B, boogie woogie and rock 'n' roll. Above, Turner, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, sang "Shake, Rattle and Roll" at The Apollo Theater, Harlem, in 1954. Bill Haley & His Comets' cover of the song, which omitted the suggestive lyrics, was a hit that same year.